Five Letter Girl Names

The Wylie spelling (with that feminine Y) is much more common among girls than Wiley, but both have been climbing the ranks. Could Wiley be the next Riley?

Taina is a feminine Tupi name meaning "star." A nice choice for those looking for something celestial but less common than Stella or Astrid. Taina also means "secret" in Russian and is a Finnish form of Tatiana.

One of the few Lu- names that you've probably never heard of, Lulie could prove a good alternative for Luna, Lucy, and Lula.

Audacious offshoot of Roxanne, the wayward heroine of the musical Chicago.

A variation of the name Nere, both choices are distinctive and accessible. In the Top 20 in Spain.

The Etain (or more properly Étaín) of Irish mythology was a beautiful fairy turned into a fly (or in some versions, a butterfly), by a jealous queen. The insect Étaín fell into a glass of milk and was swallowed by yet another queen, then reborn as a beautiful maiden. Its pronunciation is similar to the number eighteen.

A simple and beautiful Sanskrit name with a strong meaning, Aanya is made familiar by its similarity of Anya and Aine. It made a very brief appearance in the US Top 1000 in 2014 before declining in popularity slightly, and is now given to around 160 girls each year. A rare but straightforward choice, the name is featured in the popular animated series The Dragon Prince.

Author Toni Morrison is an acknowledged master of naming, and Sethe, the name of one of the main characters of Beloved, which can be pronounced as Seth or Seth-eh, relates to the male biblical name Seth but is also the name of the Egyptian god of confusion.

Starr today is more fashionably the plain-spoken Star or the more obscured Stella, Esther, or Estella.

One of the most familiar and attractive Japanese names, though rarely heard outside that culture.

Cute, distinctive diminutive for this regal-sounding name.

The original Greek spelling of Rhoda, derived from the name of the goddess Rhodos. Variation Rhodé frequently comes and goes from the Netherlands' Top 500. This is pronounced like RO-dee, rather than like road or Rhoda.

Attractive and equally intriguing alternative to Katya.

Beautiful meanings no matter which origin you want to go with. But either way, it rhymes with Paris.

Theda is most famous as the name of silent film vamp Theda Bara. Today most fashionable little Theodoras and Theodosias are called Thea, but Theda makes an intriguing change.

Elula, female derivation of Elul, the name of the sixth month on the Hebrew calendar, was used by Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen for their second daughter. The couple kept their unusual choice under wraps for several months, perhaps to get a head start on the hordes of fans who might adopt the fashionable-yet-unusual double-l name for their own. Reminiscent of (though not actually related to) Eulala, the stylish pick of Marcia Gay Harden for her daughter. Lula, Lulu, or Lu could be short forms.

An ancient Roman name that has never made it into the modern world.